Gemini IV
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NASA
First Steps: America’s Grueling Second Spacewalk
One year after Gemini IV astronaut Edward H. White completed NASA’s first spacewalk the agency prepared for a demanding second excursion. Originally scheduled for Gemini VIII, the extravehicular activity (EVA) was reassigned to Gemini IX-A after that mission ended early, with Gene Cernan taking on the task. On June 5, 1966—the mission’s third day—Cernan exited the spacecraft and quickly found…
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NASA
America’s First Spacewalk
NASA astronaut Ed White, pilot of the Gemini IV mission, floats in space on June 3, 1965, while performing the first spacewalk by an American. As White floated outside the spacecraft, he used a Hand-Held Maneuvering Unit, informally called a “zip gun.” The device, seen in White’s right hand in this image, expelled pressurized oxygen to provide thrust for controlling his movements outside the…
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NASA
Apollo Astronaut James McDivitt Dies at Age 93
Former NASA astronaut James A. McDivitt, who commanded the Gemini IV and Apollo 9 missions, died Oct. 13. McDivitt passed away peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his family and friends in Tucson, Arizona. He was 93 years old. McDivitt was born June 10, 1929, in Chicago. He graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, before going on…
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